“President Sirleaf, the first woman to be democratically elected to head a government in Africa, is a role model to women throughout Africa and the world,” said Israel Diamond Institute’s chairman, Moti Ganz, in a statement. “She has brought peace to a country that was plagued for many years by civil war and she has reached out to the international community, including Israel, offer closer ties and mutually beneficial cooperation.”

The Nobel Prize committee cited Sirleaf’s efforts to secure peace in her country, promote economic and social development, and strengthen the position of women.